MINERADOR { 28 images } Created 18 Dec 2011

Searching for amethyst, a semiprecious stone, miners dig tunnels through the mountains in southern Brazil. This kind of mining is known for its harmful dust. The silicon dioxide particles can trespass the filter masks causing silicosis disease. Over 50% of amethyst miners had developed the silicosis, a disease that has only one cure: Lung transplant.